As Europe Dithers, Iran’s Arsenal Gets More Deadly
The EU keeps condemning Tehran’s illegal ballistic missile tests but hasn’t acted to stop them.
Looking for a few good missiles.
Photographer: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
This week Iran confirmed that it recently test-fired a missile, which the U.S. categorized as a medium-range ballistic missile “capable of carrying multiple warheads,” a transgression of a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution. Unfortunately, this was hardly news: Iran has made a habit out of testing, using and even transferring ballistic missiles across the Middle East.
The U.S. has reacted strongly with sanctions both before and after it pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. And while European officials have condemned such behavior — even at the UN — they have yet to take any serious action to dissuade Iran from continued missile tests. Regardless of whether Europe’s efforts to keep the nuclear pact alive are successful, the EU should join with the U.S. and check Tehran’s ballistic missile threat.